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Secrets of the city self-guided heritage walking tour of victoria 1 600 Block Blanshard – Start your tour at historic St. Ann’s Academy. The Chapel is the oldest part of the building, dating back to 1858. While there are no bats in its belfry, there may be a ghost or two. The academy was originally a convent and boarding school, and some people say the nuns still keep silent watch. Many visitors have heard the bell toll when there has been no one in the building. Others report seeing the silhouette of Emily Carr in the tower with a monkey on her shoulder. 2 Belleville and Government – In Thunderbird Park, you will find a cedar building with a large native motif amidst a number of totem poles. This is Wawadit’la ( Mungo Martin House ), an authentic recreation of a Kwakwaka’wakw big house. First Nations have lived in British Columbia for thousands of years. In their culture, the human world and the world of the supernatural are not separate. Dances and songs of guardian spirits and supernatural beings were taught to ancestors who then passed them down to the present generation. The house is currently used as a centre for First Nations spiritual gatherings where, by flickering firelight, masked dancers bring the spirit world to life. 3 Walking through to the right of Wawadit’la you will find one of Victoria’s most famous haunted places. Helmcken House, built in 1852, is one of the oldest houses in BC. It is the original family home of Dr. John Sebastian Helmcken, the first doctor in the city and an important figure in pioneer Victoria. As his life drew to a close, his daughter Dolly would play the piano late into the night to soothe her elderly father. It is said that at night the sound of the piano can still be heard and she is sometimes seen floating past the attic windows! 4 Empress Hotel on Government – As you walk back down toward Belleville Street, you can see the turrets and steep Gothic roof of the Empress Hotel, exactly the kind of place you would expect to find a ghost. A number of spirits are said to haunt the hotel, but none is more famous than the ghost of its architect, Francis Mawson Rattenbury who also designed the Crystal Garden and the Parliament Buildings. He was murdered by his second wife’s lover in 1935. Although Rattenbury is buried in an unmarked grave in England, his ghost is occasionally seen swinging a cane and walking the halls of the hotel lobby – and then said to vanish before one’s eyes. 5 913 Government – Some say that a scent may be associated with the presence of spirits. Follow the seductively sweet smell leading up to Rogers’ Chocolates on Government Street. Not only is this shop one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau design in the city, but it is also home to a pair of ghosts. Charles and Leah Rogers started making chocolates in the back of their grocery store in 1885. You’ll be able to identify them right away because their portrait hangs proudly on the wall. Leah loves to re-arrange displays and Charles is known for his tricks, especially hiding things! 6 1110 Government – Murchie’s Tea & Coffee was established by John Murchie who got his start in Scotland where he blended teas for Queen Victoria. Toward the back of the shop there is a set of stairs going down to Langley Street. Though it looks normal enough, stories persist that the staircase is inhabited by a poltergeist. Visitors report hearing the lower doors slamming, witnessing small objects being thrown by unseen hands, and seeing a phantom passenger riding the elevator at all hours of the day and night. Continued on next page HAPPY HAUNTINGS Ghosts, ancestral spirits, strange disappearances – expect the unexpected when you step into Victoria’s past. The Happy Hauntings Walk is a mystery tour through the most haunted city in Canada. As you wander the quaint streets and tourist shops, understand that the difference between the normal and paranormal is sometimes very uncertain. City of Victoria Archives PR252-7821 St Ann’s Academy
